Can ChatGPT Provide Useful Guidance to Assess the Current State of and Future Priorities for Aging Research in the Social Sciences?

Abstract

The multifaceted implications of global population aging require regular assessments of the current state of aging-related social science research and the identification of potential future research priorities in this important area. Given the multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary nature of this field, such assessments typically require the involvement of experts from diverse backgrounds to ensure a comprehensive picture and to synthesize understudied and newly emerging topics into a future research agenda. We explored to what extent ChatGPT (version GPT-4, OpenAI) might be a useful tool for synthesizing the current state of research and identifying promising future research areas, which could feed into expert panel discussions for priority setting. ChatGPT proposed a long list of topics and specific research questions that are useful in summarizing current views on research priorities across diverse sources. To illustrate, the top five priorities for future aging research identified by ChatGPT were digital integration, climate change and older populations, mental health and aging, aging in diverse contexts, and post-pandemic aging. In conclusion, ChatGPT may be a useful tool for identifying research agenda priorities across organizations present in the web, but the lack of transparency requires that experts critically evaluate the values and views underlying selected priorities.

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